THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Women's volleyball team kicked off their California road trip today, beating Chapman 3-0 before falling to No. 16 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 0-3. 

How it Happened
Game1 
The Loggers started the weekend off strong with a big 3-0 win over Chapman. The Panthers, who took down Whitman in four sets and Whitworth in five, weren't so lucky against Puget Sound. 

A quick start propelled the Loggers in the first set, as a 6-2 run gave the team some breathing room to start the game. Chapman started to make a comeback, making it 13-10, but the Loggers put the hammer down with an incredible 8-0 run directly after. Two Amelia Reed aces and several kills by Maddie Badger and Erin Fagan led the team during the run, giving the Loggers a 21-10 lead. The teams traded points back and forth, but a Randi Rush and Skya Favor block sealed the deal to win set one 25-14. 

Set two was a similar story. Puget Sound got off to an early 6-3 lead, and never looked back. The Panthers came back to make it 10-8, but another big 7-2 run by the Loggers put the set out of reach. Hanging onto a seven-point lead, the Loggers cruised to the finish line. Fagan had a heat check to end the set, riffling off three kills in a row to give the Loggers a 25-16 set win. 

The third set mirrored the first two, with Puget Sound getting off to a quick 10-4 lead thanks to an ace by Samantha Keightley and kills by Badger, Favor, and Fagan. Chapman went on a run of their own, shrinking the lead down to two. The Loggers responded with a timely 8-2 run, putting the set out of reach yet again. Badger was the one to heat up towards the end of the set this time, notching three kills in the Loggers' 6-3 run to win set three 25-16. 

This was a highly impressive win for the Loggers as they handed Chapman their second loss of the season. 

Game 2
The nightcap flipped the script on the Loggers, as they fell to No. 16 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 0-3. 

The Athena's got off to a hot start, going on an early 5-1 run to set the tone. Kills by Rush and Mackenzie Leith pulled the Loggers within one, as they stayed close with CMS to make it 7-8. An Athena 7-1 run immediately after threw a wrench in the Loggers plans. Puget Sound couldn't quite pull it back, as they dropped the first set 25-15. 

The Loggers immediately bounced back in the second set. They started off with a 3-1 lead thanks to a kill by Makela Pick and an ace by Lauren Ly. Badger and company helped the Loggers to another 4-1 run slightly after, maintaining their three point lead – 9-6. Claremont fought back immediately, going on a 13-2 run to silence the Logs. The teams traded points, as the Loggers dropped set two 25-17. 

A well-fought third set capped off the day for the Loggers, battling toe-to-toe with the Athena's. They dropped the first three points, but battled back with a 7-2 run to take the lead thanks to a key block from Fagan and Ursula Harrington. Every time the Athena's took a lead, the Loggers fought right back. They carried some momentum late into the set, as an ace by Reed made it 19-16. CMS tied it up at 20, but the Loggers took the next point to give them a one point lead. A 3-0 run gave the Athena's the lead, and even though the Loggers pulled within one to make it 24-23, the final blow was dealt, and the Loggers dropped the third set 25-23. 

Top Performers
Fagan had a phenomenal game against Chapman, recording 18 kills and an impressive .533 hitting percentage. Favor hit efficiently in game one, securing 8 kills and an .800 hitting percentage. Rush continued to show why she leads the nation in assists/set, setting up 52 kills over the two games. The Loggers also had a combined 15 aces in two games, with Reed and Akira Anderson recording four apiece. 

Coach's Thoughts
"Senior outside Erin Fagan led our 3-set sweep of Chapman with 18 kills and a torrid .533 hitting percentage, said Logger head coach Mark Massey. "Akira Anderson and Amelia Reed both posted three aces, and our serving consistently forced them out of their offense. Libero Samantha Keightley erased a bunch of potential kills with 15 digs. Although Chapman had two strong middles, Middle Skya Favor showed her own strength with 8 kills and a sterling .800 attack percentage."

"For the 2nd week in a row we faced a team ranked #16 in the nation, this time CMS, and we went toe-to-toe with them. We just narrowly lost the 3rd set after leading near the end. Our serving dominated a normally strong passing team, and our block got stronger and stronger through the match. Middle Maddie Badger led us with 7 kills, .417, battling vs a huge double block to create her points. Frosh Middle Ursula Harrington made a big physical impact at the net in the tight 3rd set. RS Makela Pick had one of her best showings with 5 timely kills. We've now shown two weeks in a row that the separation between us and a "Top 25" ranking is pretty small. Tough serving and scrambling defense have anchored us."

What Happens Next
The Loggers stay in California to face another strong opponent in the Redlands Bulldogs. The match on Saturday, September 13th, is set to begin at 2:00 pm at California Lutheran University.